This Time Tomorrow by Emma Straub

“Maybe that was the trick to life. To notice all the tiny moments in the day when everything else fell away, and, for a split second....you had no worries, only pleasure, only appreciation of what was right in front of you.”

Did I just adore a book with time travel in the plot? YES- I did. Where do I begin to sing the praises of this very special novel?

First, Straub does NYC with the best of them. Of course that makes sense because she is a New Yorker and the owner of the great Brooklyn bookstore Books Are Magic so she is able to bring NYC into the narrative as both setting and character. It is some of the best armchair travel to the city out there.

Second, Straub is able to drop her readers into the lives of her characters effortlessly and I've found this with all her books. I instantly feel as though I know these people and could befriend them - it's very unique to her writing and I guess it's because her characters feel so authentic.

Third, Straub is able to strike that fine balance between witty dialogue and tenderness. She gave us some deeply heartfelt relationships here: between a daughter and her father, between two childhood friends that have withstood the test of time, all while transporting us back to the 90s complete with Love's Baby Soft and Bonnie Bell Lip Smackers. I have never had time travel work in a book, so much so that now I steer clear. And yet it works here, almost effortlessly. Believe me --you know I'm a tough critic.

Should you choose the audiobook, the narration by Marin Ireland is stellar.

It's rare to find a book with a focus on a beautiful father/daughter relationship - so here is one. I have not stopped thinking about Alice and Leonard since I finished yesterday. I highly recommend it to fans of Straub and anyone looking for a great, feel good book that also has excellent writing and depth- this story will stand the test of time- pun included.